CHENNAI: With most of the path eaten up by parked vehicles, puncture repair shops, tea stalls, and eateries, travel on the Pallavaram Radial Road is nothing short of a nightmare. Irrespective of the day or time, there is always a bottleneck and it gets worse during the weekends.
“Nearly half of the road is dug up for laying water pipes and there are no warning signs in place. There is every possibility of motorists falling into trenches at night. On top of this, vehicles are parked on the narrow street,” said K Praveen, a Keelkattalai resident.
Apart from this, hundreds of construction vehicles and trucks are parked on either side of the road. “The trucks do not leave even after delivering the materials. They remain parked overnight and become a hub for anti-social activities. I was groped during my morning walk by a man hiding behind one of the trucks, a month ago,” said VJ Priya, a resident of Narayanapuram.
Also, a number of IT firms allegedly encourage their employees to leave their two-wheelers on the path outside the office. “There are numerous IT firms on this stretch. They allegedly pay the police to ensure the vehicles are not towed. This is the major menace,” said A David, an activist.
However, when questioned the police said they ensure vehicles leave and they patrol the area in the wee hours. But, residents have paid a heavy price for the expansion work on Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road. The damage caused to the street lights and other utilities, remain unattended for at least a year.
The arterial road connects the airport in Meenambakkam with the IT corridor in Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR). However, the two-km stretch now poses a risk to the motorists. Two bikers died in separate accidents last year. Residents claim minor accidents are a regular occurrence along the stretch.